P-B-Artois?

I was just checking out the news thread about Tom Long, and quality, and it made me think about a time I did a blind taste of Stella Artois against Pabst Blue Ribbon. There was a difference in flavor, but none of us could tell which was the "better" beer. So, I just checked out the reviews of both, and surprisingly, PBR is rated higher. I have not reviewed either beer by itself, but ever since then, I have referred to both of them as PBArtois. Most places I have been consider Stella to be "good" and PBR to be "crap". Anyone else done this with Stella, or any other "good" beers with similar results?

It's called the "wife beater" here because people treat it as a session beer and it's far too strong for that. Perhaps it's because it's so light in taste that they can sink dozens of pints at a sitting.
We once ran up a tab for 17 pints of Stella at a CAMRA meeting. The reason for buying it was that we needed a bland beer for a tasting training course ; we doped it with chemicals to emulate specific brewing faults. It was the least flavouful beer in the pub.

I think both had a nice clean crisp refreshing flavor. Definitly my go to beers when no real craft is available. To me PBR is miles and miles ahead of the Millers and Buds of the world.

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They're all crap and you're delusional if you think PBR is superior. Pabst hasn't existed as a brewery in ages - the rights to the name were purchased and it's contract brewed by Miller-Coors. Only kids who buy the retro-cool image the hipsters have of it think it's any better than Bud, Miller, etc. It's not the beer your grandfather drank, and even if it was, it would still be just as shitty as all the rest of those type of beers. I drank plenty of it in the late 60's and my memory is fine!

We once ran up a tab for 17 pints of Stella at a CAMRA meeting. The reason for buying it was that we needed a bland beer for a tasting training course ; we doped it with chemicals to emulate specific brewing faults. It was the least flavouful beer in the pub.

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Although it was the blandest beer in the pub it was also the strongest and most expensive.Go figure.

PBR gets ripped for being the hipster beer here on BA, but in Rhode Island the hipster beer is Narragansett by far.

Speaking of Gansett, to the OP, I'd like to do a side by side with Gansett and Stella, PBR and Heineken. Gansett gets a lot of love, but I have a sneaking suspicion that up against those other crappy (in my opinion of course) beers it could be hard to pick out. I am not saying Gansett sucks, I definitely drink my fair share of it. However, I don't think it's head and shoulders above those other three as some make it seem.

PBR gets ripped for being the hipster beer here on BA, but in Rhode Island the hipster beer is Narragansett by far.

Speaking of Gansett, to the OP, I'd like to do a side by side with Gansett and Stella, PBR and Heineken. Gansett gets a lot of love, but I have a sneaking suspicion that up against those other crappy (in my opinion of course) beers it could be hard to pick out. I am not saying Gansett sucks, I definitely drink my fair share of it. However, I don't think it's head and shoulders above those other three as some make it seem.

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I guess I could fall into that category. I wear skinny jeans, have tattoos, ride a bike (geared, no fixie), own too much plaid, and have a beard (but keep it trimmed). And I'll take Gansett over PBR most days, but I'll drink either unashamedly, and occasionally enthusiastically. I've never done a side-by-side, but I think I could pick the Gansett out of the PBR, Miller, Bud, etc, but I probably couldn't tell what each remaining one was.

I guess I could fall into that category. I wear skinny jeans, have tattoos, ride a bike (geared, no fixie), own too much plaid, and have a beard (but keep it trimmed). And I'll take Gansett over PBR most days, but I'll drink either unashamedly, and occasionally enthusiastically. I've never done a side-by-side, but I think I could pick the Gansett out of the PBR, Miller, Bud, etc, but I probably couldn't tell what each remaining one was.

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I live in Cambridge, ride a fixed gear, but work in an office and am clean shaven. If I'm feeling cheap or don't feel like a real beer, I'll go for a Gansett. If the only options are BMC, I go for water or a whiskey and soda. Gansett does taste a bit better than those others, plus it's the only reasonably priced option in any bar in the Cambridge-Boston area. Gansett Summer, on the other hand, is a very refreshing and solid beer, and Gansett Octoberfest is up to snuff with many other American Octoberfests.

I live in Cambridge, ride a fixed gear, but work in an office and am clean shaven. If I'm feeling cheap or don't feel like a real beer, I'll go for a Gansett. If the only options are BMC, I go for water or a whiskey and soda. Gansett does taste a bit better than those others, plus it's the only reasonably priced option in any bar in the Cambridge-Boston area. Gansett Summer, on the other hand, is a very refreshing and solid beer, and Gansett Octoberfest is up to snuff with many other American Octoberfests.

I've noticed that I find that Stella Artois and Pabst Blue Ribbon Export (the 4.5% version they sell here via the monopoly) share alot of their taste profile, with the difference that Stella Artois has a more noticable bitterness which is to be expected from a European lager. The shared corn adjunct would be the obvious source of these similarities but I don't find that every corn adjunct lager tastes like those two, MGD tastes different to them and a bunch of southern European lagers with corn adjuncts do not taste the same as those either. There's a Thai budget-beer called Leo which I find is similar to Pabst in taste, it's even more similar to it than Stella Artois is, which is probably due to a lower bitterness and a more similar type of carbonation contributing to a similar mouth feel.

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IMO Gansett tastes way better than Stella & PBR. I also enjoyed a couple Gansett Bock during the spring time that I thought were pretty tasty.

I'll take PBR over Bud or Miller any day.

I think Stella is the most over-hyped, average-tasting beer ever. I know so many people (not craft beer drinkers) that call this their favorite beer and will pay $7 per beer at a bar or restaurant for it. They think it's one of the best beers out there. It must be the name that makes it sound sophisticated. I have tried to tell some of them that it's crap but most of the time I resist the urge to be an overt beer snob.

IMO Gansett tastes way better than Stella & PBR. I also enjoyed a couple Gansett Bock during the spring time that I thought were pretty tasty.

I'll take PBR over Bud or Miller any day.

I think Stella is the most over-hyped, average-tasting beer ever. I know so many people (not craft beer drinkers) that call this their favorite beer and will pay $7 per beer at a bar or restaurant for it. They think it's one of the best beers out there. It must be the name that makes it sound sophisticated. I have tried to tell some of them that it's crap but most of the time I resist the urge to be an overt beer snob.

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This is one beer where I have to fight that urge also. I have a friend, who is more sued to the better things in life, and swears by Stella. praises it in all its Stella glory and even has compared it to some of the things I drink and has deemed it leagues better.

I don't argue, because I don't want to be "that guy," but sometimes I want to grab him by his fucking face and scream into it that his favorite beer, is a skunky puddle of goat piss.

Gansett Lager to me is the worst of any (out of a can atleast). And I really like their seasonals (Summer and Porter especially). I'm convinced people buy it only because its the cheapest available at a bar/concert or for hipster factor. I'd definitely take a High Life or even PBR over Gansett.

Stella (and to a lesser extent heineken) both have a little bit more bitterness I believe. I'm confident I could tell the difference between them when tested against PBR, Bud, ect. IMO Stella is definitely the most overhyped/overpriced option available though, people drink it because they want to think there drinking a nice beer.

Personally I find the taste/price ratio of High Life best for me (the minimized hipster factor is an added plus). Only problem is its a BMC product, but that doesn't bother me.

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They're all crap and you're delusional if you think PBR is superior. Pabst hasn't existed as a brewery in ages - the rights to the name were purchased and it's contract brewed by Miller-Coors. Only kids who buy the retro-cool image the hipsters have of it think it's any better than Bud, Miller, etc. It's not the beer your grandfather drank, and even if it was, it would still be just as shitty as all the rest of those type of beers. I drank plenty of it in the late 60's and my memory is fine!

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Anyone who mentions hipster in their argument is automatically dq'd in my book. I gave it a fair shot and going by taste and mouthfeel through objectional eyes and it is miles and miles ahead of of the other macros.

Anyone who mentions hipster in their argument is automatically dq'd in my book. I gave it a fair shot and going by taste and mouthfeel through objectional eyes and it is miles and miles ahead of of the other macros.

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Saying hipster to me is like hearing someone say Youngin'! As in "Those darn youngin's are trampin' through my yard again. In my day, we didn't do that." Just say hipster so you don't feel old.

One of the big reasons for the growth of craft beer is the fact that there is so little difference between Bud, Miller, Coors, Heineken, Stella, Pabst... We needed real alternatives to the light lagers and thankfully, there are many options now.

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I've noticed that I find that Stella Artois and Pabst Blue Ribbon Export (the 4.5% version they sell here via the monopoly) share alot of their taste profile, with the difference that Stella Artois has a more noticable bitterness which is to be expected from a European lager. The shared corn adjunct would be the obvious source of these similarities but I don't find that every corn adjunct lager tastes like those two, MGD tastes different to them and a bunch of southern European lagers with corn adjuncts do not taste the same as those either. There's a Thai budget-beer called Leo which I find is similar to Pabst in taste, it's even more similar to it than Stella Artois is, which is probably due to a lower bitterness and a more similar type of carbonation contributing to a similar mouth feel.

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Do the American Lagers arrive in Sweden in good shape (not too old or beat up in transport)? I am always a bit reticent to purchase imported German Pilsners since I have been ‘burned’ several times; the beers taste ‘tired’ from being too old and/or beat up via transport.

Do the American Lagers arrive in Sweden in good shape (not too old or beat up in transport)? I am always a bit reticent to purchase imported German Pilsners since I have been ‘burned’ several times; the beers taste ‘tired’ from being too old and/or beat up via transport.

Cheers!

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The only American adjunct lager that is actually imported from the US nowadays would be the PBR Export. MGD is imported from Italy and produced in a SABMiller brewery there and Budweiser is brewed in the UK in an ABInbev brewery. I haven't noticed any difference in percieved freshness inbetween the PBR, MGD and Budweiser (whom I taste side by side from time to time). All three are bottled and not beat up.

I have never experienced the type of problems with old tasting beers or skunky beers that is often discussed here and elsewhere by American beer drinkers, and I've often wondered why that is. In the monopoly the 33cl 11.2oz (or 12oz for PBR Export) imported lager beers are kept in closed 24 packs for the most part, stacked on top of each other, with new packs being opened as the top ones are emptied. They thus don't sit exposed to the store lights for very long. That's one thing which might make a difference.